Meanwhile, New Zealand has ended its 26-year wait for a second Winter Olympic medal in stunning fashion with a pair of teenagers sensationally tripling the nation's all-time tally in the space of two hours.

Freeskier Nico Porteous claimed bronze in the men's halfpipe in PyeongChang on Thursday, less than two hours after snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott had broken the country's lengthy medal drought with bronze in the women's big air event.